CVE-2017-7563
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn ARM Trusted Firmware 1.3, RO memory is always executable at AArch64 Secure EL1, allowing attackers to bypass the MT_EXECUTE_NEVER protection mechanism. This issue occurs because of inconsistency in the number of execute-never bits (one bit versus two bits).
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceIn ARM Trusted Firmware 1.3, RO (Read-Only) memory is incorrectly marked as always executable at AArch64 Secure EL1 due to an inconsistency in the number of execute-never bits used in the MT_EXECUTE_NEVER protection mechanism (one bit versus two bits). This allows attackers to bypass the execute-never security control and potentially execute code in memory regions that should be non-executable.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 1.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify ARM Trusted Firmware A versionCheck the firmware version string in the bootloader logs, /proc/device-tree compatible property, or via 'cat /sys/firmware/fdt' and search for the trusted-firmware version stringAffected if The firmware version is 1.3 or earlier and is Trusted Firmware A (TF-A)
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Confirm AArch64 architectureVerify the system is running a 64-bit ARM architecture by checking 'uname -m' returns 'aarch64' or by inspecting /proc/cpuinfo for 'CPU architecture: 8'Affected if The system is running AArch64 (64-bit ARM) architecture
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Verify Secure EL1 execution contextCheck if the system is operating in Secure EL1 mode by examining TrustZone status via 'cat /sys/class/misc/trusty/version' or by reviewing secure monitor call (SMC) logs, if availableAffected if The firmware is executing at Secure EL1 (Secure EL1 is the privilege level where the vulnerability exists)
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Check execute-never bit configurationInspect memory translation tables or firmware debug logs for MT_EXECUTE_NEVER bit settings - look for inconsistency between single-bit and two-bit execute-never configurations in memory region descriptorsAffected if Execute-never bits are configured using only one bit instead of the required two bits for RO memory regions at Secure EL1
A system is affected if it runs Trusted Firmware A version 1.3 or earlier on AArch64 hardware with TrustZone enabled and the firmware executing at Secure EL1, where RO memory may be incorrectly marked as executable due to the execute-never bit inconsistency.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate ARM Trusted Firmware to a version that corrects the execute-never bit handling, or implement additional runtime checks at a higher privilege level (Secure EL2 or EL3) to enforce memory execution restrictions.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-7563 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-7563 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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